THE Kabwe High Court has slapped a 15-year jail sentence on a 31-year-old farmer of Serenje for defiling and impregnating a 14-year-old girl.
Judge Dominic Sichinga handed down the sentence on Fraser Chisenga after the magistrate’s court committed him to the High Court for sentencing.
Chisenga was alleged to have had unlawful carnal knowledge of a child under the age of 16, between March 1 and 31 last year.
The court heard that Chisenga sneaked into the girl’s room through the window to have carnal knowledge of her while her parents were attending a funeral.
A statement of facts before the court indicates that on unknown dates but between March 1 and March 31, 2015, the girl was coming from church when she met Chisenga who proposed love to her.
The girl rejected his proposal, but Chisenga insisted that he would see her in the night.
In the night Chisenga went to the girl’s place after her parents left for a funeral and he opened the window in the bedroom where she was sleeping.
He then undressed the girl and had sex with her, after which he left. Within the same month, the victim discovered that she had missed her monthly period.
She then told her mother what had happened and they reported the matter to Serenje Police Station.
Mr Justice Sichinga told Chisenga that to deter would-be offenders, he would serve a 15-year jail sentence with hard labour with effect from June 2, 2015, when he was arrested.
“Cases of defilement have increased and this should be a warning to would-be offenders that they will be jailed if they commit the same offence,” he said.
And before the judge handed down the sentence, Chisenga pleaded that: “I am remorseful for my actions and I promise never to repeat the offence. I am asking the court to exercise leniency on me because I am a first offender.”